In the News

February 12, 2013 — Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin on Friday said it would end its federal lawsuit over a state medication abortion law (Act 217) and refile the suit in state court after jurisdictional issues impeded a settlement in the case, the Wisconsin State Journal reports (Treleven, Wisconsin State Journal, 2/9).

Under the law, physicians and patients would have to meet several requirements before a medication abortion, including the completion of three office visits and multiple steps to verify that the woman is seeking the abortion voluntarily.

According to the federal lawsuit, physicians who fail to follow the requirements can be subjected to criminal charges, civil penalties or disciplinary action. The suit argued that the law does not clearly spell out what physicians must do to comply with the requirements and should be struck down (Women's Health Policy Report, 12/12/12).

Agreement Details

Last week, PPWI and the Wisconsin Department of Justice reached an agreement to clarify how the law will be interpreted so that doctors will know whether they are in compliance. They filed the agreement in federal court on Wednesday.

However, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb on Thursday dismissed the proposed agreement because it would end the constitutional dispute in the case and thus place the matter outside of her jurisdiction.

Lester Pines, a lawyer representing PPWI, on Friday said the suit will be refiled in Dane County Circuit Court (Wisconsin State Journal, 2/9).

Video Round Up

An Interview with Justice Ginsburg on the State of Abortion Access

In a rare interview, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg tells MSNBC's Irin Carmon it is a "crying shame" that state abortion restrictions are making the procedure increasingly "[i]naccessible" to many low-income women. Watch the video

Datapoints

A Look at Abortion Coverage in the ACA's Marketplace Plans, Repro Health Report Card, More

This week's charts depict why abortion coverage is unavailable in many states' ACA marketplace plans for 2015. We also feature a national reproductive health report card and an interactive look at abortion restrictions in Missouri. Read more

At A Glance

"[Roe v. Wade] protects a woman's freedom to make her own choices about her body and her health, and reaffirms a fundamental American value: that government should not intrude in our most private and personal family matters."

— President Obama, commemorating the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Read more